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C E L E B R A T I N G  1 0 0  Y E A R S  O F  W A K E  F O R E S T ’ s  S T U D E N T  N E W S P A P E R VOL. 100, NO. 8
T H U R S D A Y ,  M A R C H  3 ,  2 0 1 6 “Cover s the campus like the magnolias�
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Sigma  Phi  Epsilon  hosts  lecture  with  Imam  Griggs New  data  follows  up  on  Wake’s  most  recent  graduates  and  what  they  are  doing  today BY  CHARLOTTE   BELLOMY Staff  Writer bellcs13@wfu.edu
Photo  courtesy  of  Matthew  Simpson
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LGBTQ  students  share  stories “Out  at  Wakeâ€?  panel  promotes  discussion  of  LGBTQ  student  experiences  on  campus BY  BUCK  HINMAN Â–ÂƒĆĄ ”‹–‡” hinmsb12@wfu.edu Over 100 people packed into a crowded classroom in Greene Hall Tuesday March 1 at 6 p.m. to hear five students of varied gender, racial and sexual identities share their experience as minorities at Wake Forest. The panel of students spoke out to their peers as part of an event called “Out at Wake,â€? hosted by the LGBTQ Center. Nehemiah Rolle, a Wake Forest fellow in the office of the Provost and the moderator of the discussion, said he hoped the
discussion would help educate those unaware of the challenges LGBTQ students face at Wake. “I want students to lean into discomfort and challenge their assumptions about different groups on campus,� he said. “I want this space to be a first step in a campuswide commitment to make Wake a safe place for LGBTQ students.� Attendees at the event leaned forward in their chairs to listen as Rolle engaged the panel with deeply personal questions about their journey as members of the Wake Forest community and as individuals struggling to understand their own identities. “I decided to live in a single room my sophomore year because I was so scared of living with someone who was transphobic or homophobic,� said junior Danny Benitez, one of the panelists and an open-
ly transsexual student. “People would act surprised and confused every time I used the hall bathroom, and that was hard to deal with.� The five panelists discussed at length how different organizations on campus helped them recognize and embrace their identities. Panelists Millie Perez, Sammy Moorin and Jordan Monaghan shared their stories about how coming “out� to their respective sororities and fraternities made a positive impact on their Wake Forest experience. “I knew Wake Forest was a southern, preppy and conservative school,� Moorin said. “I thought I was going to be straight for four years. My impression didn’t change until I joined a sorority. My biggest support comes from them — they
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“A connection between Greek Life and the Islamic faith is something that students may never draw,� said sophomore member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Faraz Ahmed. However, seeing an opportunity to create a beneficial relationship between the two, Sigma Phi Epsilon worked with Imam Khalid Griggs to put together an event this Tuesday evening. The discussion that they hosted gave students an opportunity to hear Griggs speak about his work in Islam, his own journey in social justice and how Greek Life can work to improve campus cohesion. “I think this is important for the overall health of this school, and it is everyone’s responsibility to get to know their fellow classmate by learning about who they are, what their beliefs are and ultimately understanding that they are no different than you and I,� Ahmed said. Griggs, the associate chaplain of Muslim life at Wake Forest, is also the vice president of the Islamic Circle of North America and one of the founding members of Muslims for Social Justice. However, his journey in Islam began when growing up as a Baptist in Winston-Salem. Griggs joined Islam his senior year at Howard University, influenced in large part by the turbulent social movements surrounding his time at Howard, including Women’s Rights, Civil Rights, Black Power, the American Indian movement and the Native American movement. “I grew up in a Baptist Church ... so I came from a religious background,� Griggs said. “But for some reason, it didn’t seem that the religion and practice I had was enough to carry me from one Sunday morning to the next. It wasn’t enough structure for me ... so I started to look for some system of life that would give me a kind of grounding that would allow me to be consistent in what I wanted to do.� Griggs found that system in the religion of Islam. “A person like myself understood that if I genuinely wanted to reflect values of Islam, then I had to stand for what was right,� Griggs said. Throughout his journey, Griggs notes that he still does not feel as though he left Christianity.
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